South Africa are definitely one of the most talented,
lethal, and deadly sides to have not won the World Cup, which is a shame because
of the sheer quality of the talent belt that they have churned over the past 2
decades. Some say that they have still not fully come out of the devastation of
“THAT” 1999 semi-final, while others believe that they don’t have the big-game
nous that the other World-Cup winning sides possess. However, this is a new
Proteas side, a side that has brute force and elegance in the right quantities,
yet a side that is in flux due to the ever-changing administrative landscape
around them.
They are coming to this tournament on the back of arguably
their worst-ever showing in a 50-over world cup since they made a comeback in
1992. Add to the fact that they just about squeaked through the automatic
qualifiers at the last minute, there are genuine question marks surrounding
this Proteas side. Earlier this year, the SA women made history by being the
first-ever Proteas team to make the finals of an ICC tournament. Can the men
emulate, or go one better?
Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller will be especially
crucial because South Africa’s recent tournament blowouts have often been the
result of a meltdown in the middle order, especially under duress. Klaasen is
in top form, which is fortunate for South Africa. He has two ODI hundreds this
year, a 58.55 average, and most importantly, a strike rate of 141.43. In that
time, he has also struck 25 sixes, the most of any South African. South Africa
has the personnel to deal with what has typically been a challenging part of
the innings thanks to Miller’s considerable of experience in India, which
includes winning the championship with Gujarat Titans last year.
With only two ODI appearances under his belt, Gerald
Coetzee was chosen for the squad above veteran all-rounder Wayne Parnell due to
his speed. Coetzee has a frightening short ball, can accelerate to about 145
kph, and is useful as a lower-order batter. If somebody is worried about him,
it might be because of his inconsistent behaviour.
At the conclusion of the competition, Quinton de Kock
made the decision to stop playing ODI cricket, but he will still pursue a T20
career internationally.
There is a good probability that this will be Temba
Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller,
Keshav Maharaj, or Tabraiz Shamsi’s final dance in the format even if none of
them have revealed what their long-term fifty-plus future looks like.